Ireland oversees global pledge to build back better in transport

Ireland’s year holding the Presidency of the International Transport Forum (ITF) culminated in a commitment to raise ambition and invest in the transition to green mobility by transport ministers across the globe.

In May 2021, the transport ministers of 63 countries of the ITF at the OECD agreed to use the recovery from the pandemic to transform their transport sectors.

Originally scheduled to take place in May 2020 in Leipzig, Germany, the annual ITF summit was postponed due to the pandemic and was instead held virtually between 17 and 28 May 2021 and opened by Transport Minister Eamon Ryan TD.

Ireland’s presidency of the ITF, which was taken up in 2019, was extended by a year because of the pandemic and, as expected, pandemic recovery dominated the rescheduled virtual event.

Ryan chaired the Annual Council of Ministers of Transport on 27 May, following which, an unanimously agreed ministerial declaration was released, reading: “Ministers note that the recovery from this pandemic offers new opportunities to reshape transport systems and shift to more resilient, efficient, sustainable and equitable mobility.

“In order to embrace the opportunity to build back better, ministers commit to show ambition, leadership and continued investment in the transition to greener and more efficient transport solutions.”

The ITF is an intergovernmental organisation, acting as a think tank for transport policy and organising the annual summit for transport ministers.

The Presidency of the ITF revolves annually, and Ireland previously held the role of President of the organisations predecessor, the Conference of Minister of Transport (ECMT).

The annual summit took place in the context of findings that transport activity is set to double by 2050.

The ITF’s transport outlook for 2021, factoring in a slowing of overall demand growth because of the economic impact of the pandemic and fresh decarbonisation commitments, points to a 16 per cent increase in CO2 emissions from transport by 2050 even if current commitments are fully implemented.

“Current transport decarbonisation policies are insufficient to pivot passenger and freight transport onto a sustainable path,” the report states, highlighting that more ambitious decarbonisation policies could reduce CO₂ emissions by 70 per cent, in line with the goal of the Paris Agreement ambition to limit global warning to 1.5ºC.

The ITF’s founding, which made the ECMT a worldwide organisation by making full-time members of previous associate members such as Japan and the United States, was done through the 2006 Declaration on the Development of the ECMT, colloquially known as the Dublin Declaration.

Among a range of commitments undertaken by ministers at the annual summit were:

• promoting of urban mobility redesigns that build on the boom for walking and cycling during the pandemic;
• ensuring that new technologies and innovative mobility options foster equitable access for all citizens;
• promoting of education and training and a more inclusive and fair workplace for all transport workers;
• encouraging the use of public transport;
• fostering automation, digitalisation and data innovation;
• promoting of innovation in electrification, low- and zero-carbon fuels, hydrogen fuel cells and new-generation batteries; and
• promoting of intermodal transport and develop interoperability.

Commenting following the ITF summit, Ryan said: “In the context of climate change and the urgent need to fundamentally reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally, coupled with digitalisation, automation and the impact of Covid-19, our transport systems are at a turning point.

“As we look to shift towards cleaner and efficient transport networks, we must innovate and drive behaviour change to ensure passengers and freight stay connected, in a sustainable manner, to the communities and businesses which need them.

The ITF Summit has provided a much-needed opportunity for transport leaders from around the world to join together and plan the pathway towards realising that vision.”

The ITF 2022 Summit is scheduled to return to Leipzig next year and will be under the Presidency of Morocco before passing to the UK in 2023.